The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1887-06-30
SCIENTIFIC SCRAPS.
Interesting Matters Which Are Occupying
Specialists Over the World.

Interesting Matters which Are Occupying
Specialists Over the World.
At recent meeting of the Natural
History Society of Wisconsin, DIR. Peckham,
the president, read an interesting paper on
wasps, presenting the results of many expert
ments made in 1885 on the mental habits and
peculiarities Of these insects. In the section
entitled "Emotions," DR.. Peckham discusses
the question whether wasps have much SYM
pathy with the suffering Of their fellows. ITO
be sure" he says, ''when we caught numbers
ofthem and painted them within the cage, they
at once went to work to clean each other, and
this seems to show that they have some desire
to aid and comfort their friends. But we have
often seen them continue to eat, with entire
composure, near the body Of one of their num-
ber that had just been crushed to death; and
they frequently fall upon q dead relative, cut
1t up, and carry it into the nest to feed their
young. An overpowering sense of utility is
probably the cause Of this cannibal propen-
sity; as was the case in Terra del Fuego,
where the natives were frequently forced,
through stress Of weather and scanty food
supply, to eat their old women"
A Birmingham paper says that novel
experiment was recently tried there with the
telephone. letter was received by Messrs.
Rogers & Priestly, musical caterers in that
town, asking them to send an organ to suit
pianoforte to q room at Moseley, where q
concert was to take place that night. The
nrm were totally at loss to know the
precise tone Of the piano. and conse-
Quently despaired Of being able to comply
with the demand in time. However, much to
their surprise, they found that they could COM
municate with the people at Moseley through
the telephone. Forthwith Messrs. Rogers
asked that one Of the notes Of the piano should
be struck. When this was done, the sound
could be distinctly heard in Colemore Row, and
by gradually reducing the pitch pipe the tones
Of both instruments were made to correspond.
Many of the beautiful Alpine flowers,
especially the edelweiss and the Alpine rose,
are In danger Of becoming extinct The gov
ernment of valais and the Monte Rosa section
of the Alpine Club have caused gardens to be
laid out and Enclosures to be made for the cut-
tivation and protection of these plants. The
station on the Tete de Mouton, near Vissoye,
in the Einfcht valley (valais), situated at the
height of $500 metres, cultivates not only
plants belonging to the Alps, but some from
the Pyrenees, the Himalayas and the Caucasus.
At q recent meeting Of the Canadian
Institute, DR.. Rosebrugh, Of Toronto, read .
paper ON and presented some specimens of the
photography Of the interior of the living eye.
Two series Of photographs were shown. The
1rst simply presented views Of the optic nerve
end retinal blood-vessels. The second series
showed not only the retina of the eye, but alss
IN inverted picture of objects to which the eye
was directed, depleted upon the retins.
The new University of Upsala was
opened with great ceremony on May II. There
we're present the King and Grown Prince Of
Sweden, q number of delegates from foreign
universities, the leading Swedish men of
science, and some !, ,50d students. The building
, very handsome. and cost nearly 2e60.0oo.
The Grand Duke Nicholas Of Russia,
eldest son of the Grand Duke Michael Nichol-
aievitch, has, 1t is said, written book ON the
entomology Of the Caucasus. His highness b
an ardent student of natural history, ana
studies every new work ON the subject pub
llshed in England. France and Germany.
A photographer at Pesth has succeeded
in taking photographs of projectiles, fired
from q Werendler gun, whilst having veloo-
ity of ly0O feet per second. The projectiles
appeared ON the Impressions suveloped in q
layer Of air hyperbolic in form.
She Didn't Need Any Gas.
A Boston lady Of culture visiting White
hall friends had occasion to have tooth ex-
racted. Calling upon DR.. Foote. she in
Quirsd:
"Will you condsscend to attach your most
approved mechanical appliance ~ this b.
cusp!de and dislocate II from its native els-
b. Foots pulled the tooth wAtseAoa